9 of the world's best city beaches

Ipanema Beach (Rio De Janeiro) – Brazil's Ipanema Beach is beautiful, but the currents can be wild. Just like the nightlife.

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Clifton Beaches (Cape Town) – Cape Town, South Africa's Clifton Beaches are popular with locals and visitors. (Editor's note -- an earlier version of this gallery incorrectly identified a photo of nearby Camps Bay as Clifton Beaches. The error has been corrected.)

Waikiki Beach (Honolulu) – Opted for Hawaii's Waikiki Beach for the wedding? You can stay right where you are for the honeymoon.

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Brighton Beach (UK) – Peaceful paddling an hour from London at Brighton Beach.

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Barceloneta Beach (Barcelona) – If it's good enough for Shakira, Spain's Barceloneta Beach is good enough for anyone.

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Jumeirah Beach (Dubai) – No beer, just bronzing at Jumeirah Beach in Dubai.

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Miami Beach (Miami) – Serious pampering awaits many who head for Miami Beach.

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Kitsilano Beach (Vancouver, B.C.) – If Vancouver is one the best cities to live, does that make Kitsilano Beach one of the best beaches to play on?

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Story highlights

Crystal waters, awesome local food and great views set these city beaches apart from others

The turquoise waters of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu are good for snorkeling

Ipanema Beach offers great restaurants and a party vibe

Stressed colleagues, traffic jams, pollution.

We're all familiar with the undesirable qualities of city life.

So thank the gods of urban planning for the occasional sandy edge.

There are some cities where worker drones can strip off the suit and tie, jump into shorts or a bikini and enjoy a day with their toes in the sand without having to leave the urban perimeter.

By talking with our well-traveled friends and colleagues, collating data from tourism authorities and using our own experiences, we've put together a list of what we think make up 9 of the best city beaches in the world.

Ipanema was famed long before Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim composed their 1962 ode to one of the "tall and tanned and young and lovely" females that still throng the beach.

"The Girl From Ipanema," however, perfectly encapsulates the eternal allure of the 1,600-meter-long, 90-meter deep stretch of white sand.

Majestic granite peaks create a spectacular backdrop while the Cagarras Islands in the distance offer a counterpoint to the brilliant blue of the Atlantic.

This is the place where the dental-floss bikini and the crocheted G-string for men made their debuts, however, and it's the sight of the scantily clad people of the Cidade Maravilhosa that makes for arguably the most compelling spectacle.

Food/drink: 5 -- Hawkers ply the sand selling everything from cold beer and caipirinhas to grilled sticks of halloumi cheese, while the streets that back the beach host some of the Rio's best restaurants.

Safe swimming: 2 -- The word Ipanema translates from native Indian as "bad, dangerous waters" and the undertow and crashing waves shouldn't be underestimated.

Party factor: 5 -- Rio's inland districts have the edge when it comes to partying but Ipanema's clubs are no slouches.

2. Bondi Beach (Sydney)

Most of Australia's main cities are close to great beaches, but Sydneysiders are justifiably bullish about the ones on their doorstep.

Coogee, Manly and gorgeous and often practically deserted northern beaches such as Palm Beach all have their advocates but for an iconic all-rounder you can't miss with Bondi.

One of the world's most famous strips of sand, Bondi is the closest ocean beach to the center of the city, ensuring its popularity with tourists and locals alike.

The wide curving crescent of white sand can get incredibly busy, but the turquoise water and prime people-watching opportunities offer recompense.

Lowdown (5-point system)

Cleanliness: 4 -- Bondi has been one of Sydney's cleanest beaches since an outlet pipe was installed in 1991 to discharge Sydney's waste five miles offshore rather than just off the cliff face that juts out of the beach.

Waikiki Beach: And you can stay right where you are for the honeymoon.

The hula girls and twangy guitars may mostly be confined to Honolulu's hotel lobbies these days, but Waikiki Beach retains a widescreen aura fostered in countless movies.

Originally a retreat for 19th-century Hawaiian royalty, the beach was also a favorite of author Robert Louis Stevenson.

Today the clutch of high-rise hotels is evidence of its status as one of the top holiday destinations in the United States, but the turquoise waters and views of the Diamond Head crater make up for the surfeit of concrete and garish short-sleeve shirts.

Lowdown (5-point system)

Cleanliness: 5 -- Work by groups such as the Healthy Hawaii Coalition ensures that the beach and water remain pristine.

Visual stimulus: 4 -- The tourist scene tends to be best described as "pasty," but the spectacular sight of Diamond Head crater makes up for a lot.

Food/drink: 3 -- Waikiki Beach is both touristy and commercial so it can be hard to find anything cheap or left field.

Safe swimming: 5 -- The water is shallow and warm.

Party factor: 4 -- Plentiful bars and nightclubs advertising foam parties and a "relaxed" dress code make for a raucous after-hours scene.

Brighton's proximity to the British capital has earned it a reputation as a kind of "London on Sea."

Yet while some apply the soubriquet derisively, the town's fusion of hip urban energy and fresh sea air acts as a tonic to any traveler and commuter ills.

The beach, which is mostly shingle down to the low tide mark, is a far cry from the paradise cliches -- this is England after all -- but it resonates charm and pulses with energy, especially on rare sunny days.

Arcane British seaside traditions such as stripy deckchairs, sticks of rock candy and fairground rides abound, but Brighton Lanes -- a maze of quaint streets and alleyways crammed with independent shops -- are a stone's throw away.

Lowdown (5-point system)

Cleanliness: 3 -- Although considered clean by British standards, Brighton doesn't have a Blue Flag -- official recognition by the international Foundation for Environmental Education of "super clean" status.

Visual stimulus: 4 -- Brits aren't slow to strip off at the first glimpse of sun, so there's plenty of flesh on parade during summer. Brighton's (stony) naturist strand was the first official clothes-optional beach in Britain.

Food/drink: 5 -- "London on Sea" is blessed with a superb eating and drinking scene.

Safe swimming: 3 -- The beach slopes sharply into the sea at high tide.

Party factor: 5 -- Great nightclubs and music venues and frequent appearances on the beach by big names make Brighton popular with music fans.

Soaring skyscrapers, mega-malls and manicured golf courses all catch the eye but the center of attention in the Middle East's most fantastical city-state remains its beautiful coastline.

When the Emirate's ruler, Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, decided to bank Dubai's future on its tourism potential, he rightly saw the spotless beaches and crystalline waters of the Persian Gulf as one of his main assets.

And so they remain.

The beaches at Al Mamzar on the opposite side of Dubai Creek have their fans, but the prime sun-worshipping spot is Jumeirah Beach.

Lowdown (5-point system)

Cleanliness: 3 -- Illegal dumping of sewage by tankers has been an issue in the past but lab tests recently gave the waters around Dubai the all clear.

Visual stimulus: 3 -- Dubai is liberal for the Middle East but it's not Rio.

Food/drink: 4 -- Jumeirah Beach Road is lined with restaurants. If you want alcohol, however, you'll need to head for a hotel.

Safe swimming: 5 -- The Gulf's shallowness and bathtub temperature make it ideal for swimming.

Party factor: 4 -- Better than you might think. Barasti or 360° have beach beats and beverages.